Chapter 9

(Be warned—it's not pretty, NC-17 graphic violence and everything)

The Jeep came to a screeching halt outside the Summers home and Buffy put the car in park but didn't bother turning it off. The three of them ran up to the house as Buffy pushed Dawn back.

"Get behind me and Willow," she ordered.

As she opened the door she called out. "Giles? Xander?"

No answer.

"Maybe they're all out back. Kennedy was starting warm ups," Dawn said hopefully.

"Stay close," Willow told Dawn, taking the young woman's hand and following Buffy.

"Anya? Spike?" Buffy called again as she made her way toward the kitchen. She opened the door to the basement and shouted down. "Anybody here?"

Still no answer.

"Okay I don't like this," Dawn remarked.

Buffy walked out to the back porch as Willow and Dawn waited by the island. A few moments later Buffy came back in shaking her head. No one was outside either. "Let's go upstairs," Buffy nodded toward the hallway.

They walked up slowly, listening for any movement in the house but hearing none. Buffy looked inside the bathroom first. Again, no one. She walked toward Willow's room and found a note on the door.

"What is it Buffy?" Willow asked.

Buffy crumpled it up and pushed Willow away. "Let me go inside first."

"What did it say?"

"Stand back Will."

"Buffy! Tell me."

Buffy just handed her the piece of paper and opened the door to look inside as Willow tried to smooth the paper back out to read the note.

Now you can be my girl was all it read. Willow looked up to find Buffy slamming the door shut again but not letting go of the handle.

"Open the door Buffy."

"We need to check the other rooms," was Buffy's only reply.

Willow tried to work her way through but Buffy blocked her. The Wiccan had enough.

"Release," she muttered. A second later Buffy flew back about 4 feet and Willow used the time to get inside. The sight stopped her in her tracks. Dawn quickly followed behind her. As soon as she saw it too she began gag and ran from the room, heading to the bathroom.

There, on the bed, was Kennedy. The sheets were stained red and her head, with her eyes open, was lying separated from her body. Willow couldn't move. She couldn't think. She couldn't cry. It couldn't be real. It looked too fake. She jumped when she felt Buffy's hand on her shoulder.

"We have to find the others Will," Buffy told her.

She walked out of the room and shouted down to Dawn, who she could hear gagging in the bathroom. "Pull it together Dawnie," she ordered, more the Slayer than her sister. "We've got to find the others."

Buffy quickly opened the room to Dawn's room finding nothing. Then she went to her own room. Not a soul or a body was there either. There was only one place they hadn't looked yet. The basement.

"Come on," Buffy told Willow. "I need you. If they're still alive they're gonna need your help, your magic. Understand?"

Willow hadn't taken her eyes off of Kennedy's body. I did it again. I killed another woman I love. How could I let this happen again?

Buffy roughly turned Willow to face her. "Stay with me Will!" she shouted knowing the woman was on the verge of collapse.

Willow nodded, trying to keep a perspective. It was too late for Kennedy. She knew that but maybe. Maybe the others…Maybe she could help them. "Let's go," she finally answered as started on her way from the room.

As they approached the bathroom to round up Dawn they heard the window close from inside. Buffy and Willow looked at each other before darting the rest of the way to the bathroom. When they entered the doorway they found Dawn faced down, blood pooling around her body. Buffy rushed inside and turned her over. That's when she saw that her throat had been sliced wide open with an expression of shock and pain still etched on her face.

"Oh Gods," Willow muttered before racing inside the room. Buffy laid Dawn back down. She couldn't think clearly. Did she jump out the window and try to give pursuit? Maybe that was the plan—to leave Willow alone? Did she call an ambulance? Did she continue with going down to the basement? She told herself to breath, to remember the exercises that Giles had taught her about maintaining focus. Giles. She had to find Giles. He escaped the bringers attack. Maybe he escaped this time too.

"Come with me," Buffy told Willow and they both ran downstairs, stopping just short of the basement door. "Ready?" Buffy asked.

Willow paused a moment and willed herself not to cry. "No," she answered honestly before opening the door sharply. Buffy turned on the light and peered inside not seeing anything at first. She took the stairs first with Willow following behind her.

There on the basement floor were the S.I.Ts. Willow looked over to the cot where Spike had been chained up. All that remained was a pile of dust. As they moved further down the steps they could see they had been shot, falling in a line execution style. As Buffy examined them more closely that's when she heard Willow behind her.

"Oh dear Gods," she cried.

Buffy turned sharply and saw Xander, Giles and Anya under the staircase. All of their hands were tied with matching bullet holes between their foreheads. Willow collapsed to the basement floor, sobbing uncontrollably. The guilt of leaving them alone, the pain of losing them…it was too much.

Buffy didn't cry—not a single tear. She was too angry—angry with herself and angry with the First. The First Evil had its plan—eliminate everyone from the weakest to the strongest. Buffy knew the two strongest remained and she wasn't about to go out without a fight. That's when they heard the familiar voice from the staircase.

"And then there were two."

Buffy looked up to see 'Tara' smirking from the stairs. And she just exploded.

"You fucking bitch!" Buffy leapt to her feet and moved to the bottom of the staircase when Tara pulled a gun.

"This works much better than a sword or a stake Slayer."

At the same moment as Tara pulled the trigger Willow yelled, "Protect!" creating an invisible barrier around Buffy. The bullet ricocheted and caught Willow in the shoulder knocking her on her back.

Tara began to laugh. "That'll do."

The light around Buffy began to dim. Not wasting a moment Buffy ran up the stairs knocking the gun away from Tara to the basement floor below. The spell had all but evaporated now and Willow struggled to get herself upright. Tara got in a solid kick and sent Buffy down the stairs.

At the landing, Buffy moved to her knees. "How? How did you become corporal?"

"Oh I'm not the First, Honey," she taunted as she slowly made her way down the stairs. "I'm just a Slayer from another dimension that made a deal. If I help the First, I win a seat of power in this new order."

"You sold out," Buffy muttered.

"On the contrary, I embraced my true calling. You see Buffy. Every Slayer has a darkness within her. The best Slayers understand that darkness but you…you spent your life running from it. And you just don't have what it takes to defeat me or the First. Never have and never will. And look at the price you paid. All those dead girls. All your dead friends…All because you still refuse your calling. You still refuse to let that darkness lead you. And that's what it takes to defeat evil Buffy—it takes evil…And you just don't have it."

Buffy began to back against the wall when something caught her attention in the corner of her eye.

"She's got evil."

The voice was icy and Buffy and Tara both turned to find Willow on wobbly legs, pointing the gun at Tara.

"You?" Tara taunted. "You're really gonna kill me? My Baby? My everything?"

Willow cocked the trigger, not dropping the sights for an instant.

"Come on Will. Think!" Tara continued. "We could have everything—the world, unlimited power. You understand what I mean. We can be together again Will. The rest of these people," Tara said motioning around the room. "They don't matter. All that matters is us. It was all that ever mattered. You've got that evil inside you Willow. Use it."

"You're right," Willow told her taking an unsteady step forward, now pointing the gun at Buffy. "I've got that evil."

Tara smirked at Buffy as the true Slayer turned to watch the redhead. This couldn't be happening. Willow couldn't be a turncoat again could she? She'd come so far in the past year. Buffy's eyes silently plead with Willow to reconsider.

"I loved you more than life itself," Willow confessed to Tara. "I would have done anything to bring you back. That said…you're right. I do know evil. And it's time to prove it."

Tara smirked again at Buffy. This was easier than I thought.

But before Tara uttered a single reply, Willow shifted the gun and opened fire. Buffy jumped at the sound of three rounds pumping into Tara's chest. Dazed and shocked, Tara fell lifeless to the ground.

The End

(Try for a different ending? Go back to the beginning)

Send Feedback to Author

Back to CN's Stories...